Gandossy Leads Billikens over Charlotte, 9-1

ST. LOUIS - Senior catcher Connor Gandossy had a career day against Charlotte. His offensive explosion led Saint Louis to a 9-1 victory over A-10 rival Charlotte. Gandossy ripped his second home run of the season and drove in a career-best five RBIs in the win.

Junior Alex Alemann picks up the win and is now 7-0 on the year. The Pitcher of the Year candidate now has a 2.36 ERA with 65 strikeouts and 19 walks. The victory marks his 21st career win. Alemann is now tied for second all-time in pitcher wins at Saint Louis. Dave Sever owns the all-time mark at 22.

The 49ers scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third, but Gandossy and the Bills answered back in the fourth. With two outs and Mike Vigliarolo and Marco DiRoma on base, Gandossy doubled down the left field line for his first two RBIs of the day.

The Billikens put two more runs on the baord in the fifth. Alex Kelly hit an RBI double to score Jerry Mancuso. Kelly was later driven in on a Grant Nelson single to bring the score to 4-1 in favor of SLU.

In the seventh, Vigliarolo hit a sacrifice fly to score Kelly. In the next at bat, DiRoma walked to put runners at first and third with Gandossy at the dish. He responded by powering the ball over the left field fence for a three-run blast, his second of the year. Through seven, the score was 8-1 Saint Louis.

Alec Sole put the finishing touches on the game with an RBI single in the ninth to put the final tally a 9-1.

Saint Louis is now 16-7 in conference action and 36-15 overall. The Billikens are in first place in the A-10 with one game remaining. If the Bills can win tomorrow against Charlotte, the Billikens will clinch a first-round bye in the Atlantic 10 tournament for the first time in school history.

If the Billikens drop tomorrow's contest against the 49ers, three teams can oust the Bills. Saint Louis has two wins over second-place Dayton, but the Flyers have a three-game series remaining against La Salle. The Bills also hold the season tie-breaker over Dayton. The only other teams who can threaten the Bills atop the A-10 are St. Joseph's (12-7) and Rhode Island (12-8). The Hawks and Rams each have four games remaining to tie the Billikens conference mark. St. Joseph's owns a tie-breaker over SLU, but the Bills and Rams have not met this season. If they tie, their win percentage against common opponents will determine the top seed in the tournament.

Tomorrow, the Billikens will send freshman Nick Bates to the hill to battle Charlotte sophomore Tyler Barnette. First pitch will be at 11:00 a.m. central.